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The Early Word: Tense Times for Huckabee and Romney

By Sarah Wheaton December 8, 2007 10:59 amDecember 8, 2007 10:59 am

When Kate Phillips wrote about the rapist who murdered a woman after he was released on parole during Mike Huckabee’s tenure as govenror in Arkansas, she said, “We can guarantee you that this will not go away.” It hasn’t. Today, The Los Angeles Times’s Richard A. Serrano examines today whether “his deep Christian faith — what on the stump he says ‘defines me’ — colored his view of Wayne DuMond’s case.”

Mr. Huckabee maintains that ultimately, it was the parole board that released Mr. DuMond, and that he had rejected the option of commuting the convicted rapist’s sentence himself. More from Mr. Serrano’s report:

“It was a horrible situation, horrible. I feel awful about it in every way. I wish there was some way I could go back and reverse the clock and put him back in prison,” the candidate said at a news conference this week.

Though he acknowledged discussing the case with the state parole board, Huckabee said that conversation was “simply part of a broader discussion” initiated at the request of the board chairman. “I did not ask them to do anything,” he said.

Three board members recalled it differently. They said Huckabee raised the issue of DuMond’s release, asking to discuss the matter with them in a closed session. They said his religious beliefs, and the influence of the evangelical community from which he came, drove him.

“We felt pressured by him,” said board member Ermer Pondexter. “I felt compelled to do it. . . . It was a favor for the governor.”

Mr. Huckabee released his plan for border and immigration enforcement yesterday—a plan his rivals were quick to contrast with his record as governor. One of them, Mitt Romney, has also been taking heat for a perceived lapse in enforcement while he was governor of Massachusetts. Seema Mehta of The Los Angeles Times reports that he “lashed out” Friday when asked (in fairness, for like, the millionth time) about the landscaping crew he hired that employed illegal immigrants:

“If I go to a restaurant, do I make sure all the waiters there are all legal? How would I do that?” the former Massachusetts governor asked.

He stressed that he has never proposed that homeowners, after they hire a contractor, should “then go out and inquire of the company’s employees whether they happen to be legal or not.”

You can see the whole exchange for yourself, care of our own Ben Werschkul, here.

On the Democrats’ side, the big news today is, of course, the beginning of Oprah Winfrey’s campaign tour for Senator Barack Obama. The Des Moines Register examines the significance of her endorsement. “Political insiders say celebrity endorsements are usually worthless – or, to quote Iowa State University professor Steffan Schmidt, ‘worth a pitcher of warm spit,’” reports Erin Crawford, “but the consensus on Winfrey is different.”

The Washington Post rounds up what Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is doing to try to counteract the Oprah effect, including bringing in her mother and daughter. (Not to mention dispatching her spouse, the former president, to South Carolina.)

Peter S. Canellos of The Boston Globe writes that a different class of issues are taking precedence on the trail:

Once expected to be a stark referendum on the Iraq war and national security, the presidential campaign in both parties has been turning more toward domestic concerns, from illegal immigration and taxes among Republicans, to healthcare and Social Security among Democrats.

The shift, analysts say, has brought traditional issues and constituencies back into play and helped candidates with perceived weaknesses in national security – such as Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mike Huckabee – to rise in many polls.

Obviously those who rely on divining what a God made in a human image, but immortal, thinks about human affairs to persuade others that certain behaviors not explained by direct cause and effect will influence reality through magic, are not well equipped to deal with all the problems that result from other people doing these things.

Who can we rely on not to be fooled by high-tech ventriloquy based on acoustical holography installed in the Oval Office, for instance?

I’d like to see the opponents of immigration walk into a restaurant and ask the waiter,’Let me see your papers!’ of course with the required European accent reminescent of WWII occupied countries. And please get it on Youtube.
So if Barak loses Iowa will Oprah ratings get hurt?

Excellent! Finally a voice of reason. Praise Mr. Bolger. Now as soon as we can put into place a religion/faith in a higher power litmus test, then we will all live free, happy, and perfect. Down with religious idiots! All hail those among us wise enough to guide us to greater glory through our own innate wisdom and sense of charity(it has served us so well in the past).

You have quoted what they wrote in Wasington Post and Politico.com. You neglected to include: LET US FACE IT.NO-DOTS-HERE, where you will find: Hillary Clinton is ready to face Mitt Romney. Huck will be duked out, by not having able advisors, at the last minute.
BRING IT ON- SHE IS READY
GO HILLARY

I think it is an unfortunate that the angle of the story on Huckabee is “Governor paroled convicted rapist.” As stated, the issue has nothing to do with his qualifications as a candidate for presidency. Our system of justice vests a governor with the power to parole for certain crimes and exercise of that power, when done in accordance with the law and good judgment, is not a flaw.

Now, had the story been that Huckabee exceeded his parole authority or used improper influence to get DuMond paroled, now that would be a legitimate story about candidate qualifications. We already have in place an administration that routinely reaches into area the executive branch of government should not reach.

But based on how your story reads, the only real harm you’re inflicting is on the parole system itself. Granting parole to someone convicted of a very serious crime is a politically unpopular decision to begin with. By making such grant of parole an issue in a political campaign, you’re giving parole boards and governors even less political incentive to do so in the future.
As a result, inmates that do deserve a fair parole consideration will have even bigger obstacle to getting a second chance.

DISLCLAIMER: I am not a Huckabee supporter or a Republican. I am a criminal defense attorney who is concerned with the continuing integrity of our system of justice.

Huckabee is Disgusting Iowa! Check out the headlines from the AP this morning:

Huckabee Wanted to Isolate AIDS Patients

By ANDREW DeMILLO – 4 hours ago

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Mike Huckabee once advocated isolating AIDS patients from the general public, opposed increased federal funding in the search for a cure and said homosexuality could “pose a dangerous public health risk.”

Huckabee has lost my vote (not that he ever had it) I will only vote in this election if Romney or Obama are on the ticket, otherwise, I’ll probably move to Canada. Politicians like Clinton and Huckabee REALLY scare me.

I believe that Huckabee is simply being true to his word. They were all asked if they believed EVERY word in the bible, and they all replied “yes”. In Leviticus the Lord spoke and said lepers should be taken out of society, hence the leper colony. It is not hard to see AIDS and HIV infections as modern day leprosy, and thus the need to quarantine according to biblical scholars. Now if they could just stop administering antibiotics to lepers and let them die in their deserved agony in a leper colony then the the bible could come full circle and wouldn’t we have a better society?

I don’t care for Huckabee or Romney, that said Huckabee let a killer go and Romney didn’t check to see if his lawn maintenance company was hiring only legal residents. Based on that I would choose Romeny. Does that mean I have to check the papers of the guys that show up to cut my grass? Isn’t that the Federal government’s job not each individuals?

Liberal pundits such as the one referenced in the beginning of this story are like so many other commentators whose ignorance fuels their fear of people who understand and embrace Biblical precepts. Ignorance is so rampant in the media that no one seems to grasp the simple fact that Mormons are not Christians. (For that matter, neither are Catholics.) I will support Huckabee for many reasons, not the least of which is a hope he will be guided through prayer and meditation by the one true God of the Bible. And if Huckabee doesn’t win, his loss might be construed as one more sign of the judgment of God on this nation. We don’t deserve a good president, as we’ve become a completely debased society. The only reason He hasn’t already poured out His wrath on us is that a small remant of genuine followers of Christ remains in the land.

I AM a Huckabee supporter. And in Arkansas, governors don’t parole criminals. A parole board does. Governors may grant clemency, which Huckabee declined to do…FOUR TIMES.

Huckabee said he DID agree with the parole board’s decision, but it wasn’t his to decide. The reason he denied the clemency was because if the Parole Board chose to parole Dumond, at least he would be under the supervision of the parole board.

Some people don’t trust Huckabee. There’s not a thing in the world that can be done about that. Ask yourself if you imagine that a pastor for 12 years and a governor reelected twice in a state dominated by the other party which DID routinely challenge him, is likely a studied and practiced liar. When we think of it, most of us will think not. People wo are skeptical of both God and Republicans, may incline to think SO. Like I said: there’s nothing that can be done about that.

If you don’t believe someone is telling you the truth as they see it, it doesn’t matter WHAT he says.

It made perfect sense for Huckabee to pardon DuMond, since his rape of a high school female cheerleader proved he was heterosexual, hence acting according to God’s plan, and someone deserving of good things from our emerging theocracy. When he killed a mother of three, he was still acting in accordance with various theocratic ground rules and deserved continued assistance from Reverend Huckabee. If DuMond’s last victim had survived, it might have made sense to communicate disdain of her, as DuMond’s high school victim reports Huckabee did in his meeting with her before he proceeded to aid his Christian brother DuMond. Huckabee is a good man.

As Huckabee, Romney and Guiliani continue to stink up the joint with their piccadillos and mis-steps, the campaign and support for the alternative to this nonsense is accelerating. I urge you to check out Ron Paul. He is the man that can save the country. And he can win!

I have already posted on Huckabee’s actions re Wayne Dumond. After reading about the Dumond debacle and the thought process that lead to it, learning Huckabee’s attitude in 1992 about AIDS and homosexuals isn’t terribly surprising. Huckabee has built his career pandering to the fearful, the ignorant, and the religious right. One thing I want to know, and Huckabee’s web site doesn’t tell me, is how much education Huckabee has and where he was educated. Shouldn’t this be a matter of record?

Huckabee is very week on foregn polisies .
We MUST be safe on day one of his job .
Both- Obama and Huckabee — are not ready to lead
our country becouse of that .
Huckabee is using the bible and humor.It is not
enough !
The Comedian and Chief ?..

Let’s see. According to many news sources, Huckabee received letters from rape victims pleading with him to not release DuMond fearing he would kill (letters now online for everyone to read and supplied by a former Huckabee aide). Huckabee met with the 17 year old girl who had been raped and she pleaded with him to not release DuMond (documented meeting). He then went into a closed parole board meeting and asked that DuMond be paroled to satisfy his evangelical followers (see above).

If this were Pakistan or Saudi Arabia, we wouldn’t be surprised that women have been sacrificed on the alter of fanaticism. But this happened in America and was done by a current Presidential candidate. His callous conduct and lack of consideration for the rape victims, police, and judicial system is revealing of his character. His continued dissembling about the matter and blaming of others when he was in charge serves to reinforce a negative assessment of that character.

Was the only reason DuMond was paroled ultimately an exercise in raw political power? Were all those women raped and two women (one pregnant) murdered merely because DuMond had the good fortune to pick a distant Clinton relative for one of his victims? Is this really just a case of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”?

It’s time for a class action suit by everyone who is cheated by the subsidies given to religiously-propagated mental illness in America. Let the Supreme Court deny us standing to challenge a perfidious official sociopathy and prove what tools they really are.

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